Mail-transferring apparatus.



c. BERNHARD. MAIL TRANSFERRING APPARATUS,

APPLlCATION FILED rm. 1;. me.

Patented Fb. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

@VENTPR I WITNESSES WATTORNEY c. BERNHARD.

MAIL TRANSFERRING APPARATUS. PPLlcATmN FILED FEB. 15. 1915.

1,217,394. Patented Feb. 27,1917.

ATTORNEY I CHRISTIAN B aNHAni), or ANTI-ION, IOWA.

MAIL-TRANSFERRING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. a, 1917.

Application filed February 15, 1916. Serial No. 78,496;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN BERNI-IARD, a citizen of United States, residing at Anthon, in the county of Voodbury and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lvlail l ransferring Apparatus, of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention relates to mail transferring apparatus, and contemplates an improved construction, combination, and arrangement of parts whereby mail matter may be expeditiously transferred from a fast moving train to a stationary support or vice versa. I

In describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1. is a top plan of my improved mail transferring apparatus, illustrating the application thereof.

Fig. :2. is an enlarged side elevation, illustrating the manner in which the train carried delivery means is associated with the fixed receiving means during a mail transferring operation.

Fig. 3. is a detailed top plan view of my improved delivery apparataus, and

Fig. at. is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the manner in which a plurality of mail bags or pouches are suspended for delivery.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates a railway mail car and 2 a fixed or stationary support. A crane 3, is extended without the railway mail car 1 to support a mail receiving apparatus designated as an entirety by the numeral i, and a mail delivery apparatus designated as an entirety by the numeral 5. A like arm or crane 6 is mounted to extend laterally of the-fixed or stationary support 2 in a horizontal plane above the crane 3, said crane (3 supporting a delivery appa atus designated as an entirety by the muneral 7, and a receiving appa 'atus designated as an entirety by the numeral 8, the former, the delivery apparatus 7, cooperating with the receiving apparatus 4 of the train carried mechanism and the latter, receiving apparatus 8, c0- operating with the delivery apparatus 5. As the train carried receiving apparatus l is the same in construction as the stationary or fixed receiving apparatus 8, and asthe The said apparatus at and the said appa-- ratus 8 each consists of opposed guide arms 9, sultably spaced, and relatively positioned whereby to direct the mall matter acted on into engaging proximity with opposed retaining devices 10. Between said arms '9 and within a space defined by said arms ,and the retaining devices 10, I locate a contact plate 11, said plate being normally positioned in the direct path of the mail matter acted on to receive the impact occasioned during delivery. A spring 12 is interposed between said contact 11 and the supporting crane with which the receiving apparatus is associated that the said contact may be yieldingly held extended. Leaf springs 13 engage with the coacting retaining devices 10 to yieldingly and normally maintain said devices in close proximity and in such relation as to preclude a displacement of the mail matter acted on subsequent to delivery and contact with the cushioned contact 11. Each retaining device 10 is pivoted for movement with respect to its guide arm 9, as indicated at 14.

In order that mail matter may be efiectually transferred regardless of the direction of travel of the railway mail car, I duplicate vthe mechanism immediately hereinbe'fore described upon each side of the supportarm or crane with which it is associated. The arrangement thus referred to is illustrated to advantage in Fig. 1.

Coming now-to a description of the delivery mechanism (5 and 7), it will be observed that the said mechanism is quite similar in construction to the, receiving mechanism described. Opposed diverging guide arms 15 are provided, each guide arm being equipped with an associate retaining member 16 pivoted as at 17 and spring pressed as indicated at 18, the coacting arms and retaining devices con'jointly affording and providing a means whereby a mail sack supportingdevice 19 may be releasably maintained 'in a position permitting of instantaneous delivery the moment said mechanism 5 shall have passed beneath the mechanism 8 or said mechanism 7 shall have passed above the said mechanism 4. If desired, a yielding contact element 20 may be associated with the delivery mechanism, said contact maintaining the sack-supporting element 19, in such relation to the retaining devices 16 as to cooperate with the receiving apparatus or mechanism in effecting an instantaneous transfer. its hereinbefore intimated, the delivery mechanism described in detail is duplicated at each side of the support arm or crane with which it is associated.

This sack supporting element 19 in its preferred embodiment is of a construction whereby one or a plurality of mail sacks may be simultaneously delivered in a single operation. Said device 19 comprises a vertical support rod 21, and cross arms 22, 23, and 2%, the latter, arms 22, 23, and 24-. being adapted to engage, one at a time with and rest upon either of the guide arms 9 and 15. I A suspended cross support-arm 25 is fastened to the arm 21 as indicated at 26, said support arm 25 affording a means whereby a plurality of mail sacks 26 may be suspended. Each mail sack is attached to said arm 25 through the medium of a supporting spring 27 fastened at one end to said sack and at its opposite end to an eye 28 rigid with said rod.

In operation, and assuming that it is desirable to transfer mail matter from the stationary support 2 to the mail car 1 or vice versa, the mail matter to be thus transferred is suspended as illustrated in Fig. 1, respectively from the delivery mechanism 7 and from the delivery mechanism 5, to be thus positioned in the path of the receiving mechanism 4 and the receiving mechanism 8. Movement of the mail car 1 toward and beyond the stationary support 2 will direct the mail matter carried by the delivery ap paratus 7 to and between the guide arm 9 of the receiving apparatus l, said mail matter contacting with the yielding contact 11, that the impact incident to such transfer may be lessened. The retaining devices 10 will act automatically to releasably hold the mail matter in the space between the guide arms 9 and the said devices 10, the mail matter, by reason of the peculiar formation of the retaining devices 16, passing without the space defined by said devices into the space hereinbefore described. This operation is likewise true as regards the delivery apparatus 5 and the receiving apparatus 8.

If desired, each of the several retaining devices 10 and 16 may be equipped with a hand piece 30 so that said devices may be relatively moved should occasion demand.

From the foregoing, taking into connection the accompanying drawings, it will be noted that the retaining devices 10 of the receiving apparatus are so constructed as to act with the guide arms 9 directing the mail matter toward the contact 11, and that the retaining devices 16 of the delivery apparatus are so constructed as to direct the mail matter away from the contact 20, so that one or a plurality of all sacks may be delivered by suspending the sacks from a common delivery means.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a mail transferring apparatus, delivcry and receiving elements of duplicate construction, each comprising parallel spaced guide arms having their terminals spaced in diverging relation, whereby mail may be received in either end of the element, or delivered therefrom, a reciprocable cushioning element between the arms, and yieldable upon engagement at either end thereof to cushion impact of mail upon the elements, spring pressed retaining members at the arm terminals to retain mail within the arms, and means for supporting mail to be delivered upon the delivering element.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTIAN BERNHARD.

Witnesses H. P. \VALLIWG, HAZEL JANE TYNDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

